Talabani extensively restricted his political activities in 2008 due to his acute cardio-vascular problems which made him undergo surgeries and intensive medical care in the US and Germany for several years.

In July 2014 he returned to Iraq at the outset of Daesh Takfiri terrorists’ occupation of swathes of the country. The former president was later replaced by Fuad Masum following a parliamentary election.

Talabani’s death comes amid the ongoing disputes over the Kurdish independence vote in northern Iraq on September 25.

The Kurdistan Regional Government held the non-binding referendum on secession from Iraq in defiance of stiff opposition from the central government in Baghdad and much of the international community. Kurdish officials said over 90 percent of voters said ‘Yes’ to separation from Iraq.